Castle Bastonne

Castle Bastonne is a Fortress-City and the ducal capital of Bastonne. It is located almost exactly in the centre of the dukedom. The whole of it and the surrounding town are filled with antiquities made sacred by their association with Gilles the Unifier. Old buildings, statues, and bones, including the head of the ancient Dragon, Smearghus stand testimony to Gilles’s prowess. As well, a few ancient stone structures remain as well as a number of sections of the former castle are carefully preserved. Peasants and foreigners are forbidden to enter these places, and even nobles are expected to treat everything with respect. Things have happened over the past 1,500 years, and not everything lovingly preserved has any link to the Unifier. The largest revered structure is the Water Tower in Castle Bastonne.[1a]

This was reputedly Gilles’s personal residence. Most nobles are not allowed to go beyond the entrance lobby, and peasants can be whipped for looking at it too much. Every so often rumours surface about dark acts performed in secret within the tower, but they are quickly suppressed. The town has the feel of somewhere preserved for the pilgrim trade, and indeed, it is a very popular destination. Peasant pilgrims are guided to the outside of a number of significant locations and to the inside of taverns that pay the guide a cut. Nobles can expect a personal tour, including opportunities to pray within most places. At a minimum, visiting nobles go to Gilles’s personal Grail Chapel, and almost all Grail Knights have visited it at least once.[1a]